Soon after the HC order on the Sanatana Dharma remarks of Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, the demand for resignation is getting louder and stronger in poll-bound Tamil Nadu.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has slammed Udhayanidhi after the Madras HC quashed the FIR against party leader Amit Malviya over allegedly distorting Udhayanidhi’s anti-Sanatana comment in September 2023.
Poonawalla demanded the removal of Udhayanidhi from office and that a case be registered against him for what has rightly been termed as hate speech against Hindus.
Talking to the media in Delhi on January 21, he said the situation is such that the person who delivered the hate speech was let off, while the one who pointed it out, flagging it as hate speech, incurred the wrath of the TN government machinery.
He said, “This court, with pain, records the prevailing situation where the persons who initiated hate speech are let off scot-free, but the persons who reacted to the hate speech are facing the wrath of the law. Rather than taking action against Udhayanidhi, the entire DMK government machinery, police and other agencies went after the BJP leader.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin’s son and Deputy Chief Minister, Udhayanidhi Stalin, called for the eradication of Sanatan and compared it to dengue and malaria.
When this matter was raised by Shri Amit Malviya, instead of taking action against Udhayanidhi, the entire DMK… pic.twitter.com/0AErKq95yd
— BJP (@BJP4India) January 21, 2026
Union Minister and TN election in-charge Piyush Goyal said on X, “The decision by the Madurai Bench of the Madras HC quashing the FIR against Amit Malviya is a strong rebuke to the DMK’s narrow, anti-Hindi mindset. It is also a setback to the I.N.D.I. Alliance’s anti-Hindu ideology. Justice has prevailed. Truth can’t be put on trial, nor can the DMK’s political vendetta destroy a civilisational faith.”
He said the court held that questioning or responding to Udhayanidhi’s hate speech is not a criminal offence and that the FIR was an abuse of the legal process.
Satyameva Jayate!
After the strong judgment by the Madras High Court, in which the court clearly spoke about Udhayanidhi Stalin and his hate speech, there is no justification for him to remain in government.
He should immediately be removed, and a case must be registered over… pic.twitter.com/sazo6nw44f
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) January 21, 2026
Goyal told the media in Chennai, “Action should be taken against Udhayanidhi for his hate speech, for dividing the people of Tamil Nadu, for trying to create communal disharmony. A case should be registered against him for his hate speech for trying to divide people, and people like him should not be allowed to run the state of TN.”
TN BJP leader K Annamalai has sought the registration of an FIR against Udhayanidhi Stalin over his ‘eradicate Sanatana Dharma’ remarks. He claimed no judicial verdict is acceptable to the DMK and Left parties.
Annamalai further said, “At the very least, an FIR should be registered against Udhayanidhi. No verdict is acceptable to the DMK and Left parties. If a judge does not act in favour of the government, they resort to abusing him using caste and religion.”
Annamalai said, “The HC judge observed that equating the eradication of a religious belief from people’s way of life to eliminating diseases like dengue or malaria was akin to advocating genocide. The Tamil Nadu police should have at least taken action against Udhayanidhi. If this were truly the rule of the government, they should have obtained a resignation letter from him.”
He said, “No respect for the judiciary in Tamil Nadu,” accusing the DMK of not implementing the Madras HC order on the Tirupparankundram case.
The HC judge observed that it was evident there had been a clear attack on Hinduism by the Dravida Kazhagam and, subsequently, by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for the past 100 years, to which the Minister belonged. It highlighted this as the broader context of the remarks.
The Court said Udhayanidhi comes from a legacy where abusing Hindus is met with vote bank applause.
In a statement, ANS Prasad, spokesperson of the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP, said the High Court’s ruling has “constitutionally and morally exposed” Udhayanidhi Stalin’s unfitness to continue in public office.
He asserted that the judgment vindicates the BJP’s long-held position that lawful criticism of inflammatory remarks cannot be criminalised and that the misuse of police machinery to silence dissent will not stand judicial scrutiny.
‘Constitutionally and morally exposed’: TN BJP demands Udhayanidhi’s resignation https://t.co/88pi6t0Xiy
— ANS PRASAD (@ANSPRASADBJP) January 23, 2026
Prasad said the verdict brings renewed focus on the Deputy CM’s own statements made at a conference in September 2023, where he spoke of “eradicating” Sanatana Dharma and compared it to communicable diseases such as malaria, dengue and coronavirus.
Prasad said, “Resignation is not a political demand alone; it is a constitutional and moral necessity, calling on the Deputy Chief Minister to step down immediately in the interest of democratic values and national harmony.”
NDA allies AIADMK, AMMK, PMK, TMC and others have demanded the removal of Udhayanidhi Stalin from the government following the HC orders in the Amit Malviya case. His continuation, they said, would go against the spirit of the Constitution.
Critics say, “We can’t expect this from the DMK. It has fought to accommodate corrupt and jailed minister V Senthil Balaji. Half a dozen ministers are facing corruption cases, including seniors. It allows them to continue as ministers. So will it axe Stalin’s son after an HC order? It is wishful thinking.”
